WHEREAS, A. P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter began singing American folk music as The Carter Family in 1927 and recorded music until 1956; and,

WHEREAS, The Carter Family made music at their home in Hiltons, Virginia located in rural, mountainous, and beautiful Scott County in Southwest Virginia; and,

WHEREAS, The Carter Family is credited with curating a unique style of vocal harmony and being the pioneers of the commercial country music industry, influencing all music genres, especially country, with their songs becoming the standard; and,

WHEREAS, The Carter Family was inducted into the Country Music Hall as the First Family of Country Music in 1970, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988 receiving an award for "Can the Circle Be Unbroken”, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005; and,

WHEREAS, A. P. Carter preserved the most significant catalogue of Appalachian music in American history by gathering songs from his mountain neighbors in Scott County, many songs dating back to 18th century Scotland, Ireland and England; and,

WHEREAS, while A. P. Carter lay on his death bed in 1960, his daughter, Janette Carter, promised she would keep the family’s music alive forever and started The Carter Fold in 1974 to honor the memory of her parents and Aunt Maybelle Carter while preserving the legacy that was born in Southwest Virginia; and,

WHEREAS, Janette Carter’s daughter, Rita Janette Forrester, continues to honor her mother’s promise to A.P. Carter by serving as the Executive Director of The Carter Family Fold and The Carter Family Museum, visited by people from all over the world to honor the memory and keep the Carter Family legacy alive; and,

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia celebrates the history and achievement of The Carter Family and their continued influence on Virginia and the nation as their iconic music lives on;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize June 4, 2022 as CARTER FAMILY COUNTRY MUSIC DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.